Treasury Dept. Sanctions Companies Tied to Iranian Defense Industry

An Aug. 25, 2010, photo obtained from the Iranian defense ministry shows test fire of the third generation of short-range surface-to-surface missile.

The U.S. Treasury department sanctioned four companies and one individual Friday, labeling them as proliferators of weapons of mass destruction for their support of Iran’s military and defense industry.

The SAD Import Export Co., Chemical Industries and Development of Materials Group, and Marine Industries Organization were designated for their ties to Iran’s defense infrastructure, the Treasury Department said. Doostan International Co. was designated for its support of Iran’s Aerospace Industries Organization. Mustafa Esbati, the director of Marine Industries Organization, was also designated Friday.

According to the Treasury Department, SAD Import Export Co. has also shipped weapons to the Syrian Armed Forces controlled by President Bashar al-Assad, on behalf of Iran’s Defense Industries Organization.

“We will continue to expose the companies and individuals involved in Iran’s illicit weapons program,” David S. Cohen, Treasury under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a news release. “We will also continue to work to hold Iran accountable for its failure to meet its international non-proliferation obligations and to expose its support of the Assad regime’s violence.”

The sanctions prohibit transactions between the named entities and any U.S. person, and freeze any assets the designees may have under U.S. jurisdiction

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